Pain Relief
by ArtistHeart
Summary: Reid develops an intense migraine on the way back from a case. Hotch and Morgan take care of him. Hurt/Comfort.


"Pain Relief"

I do not own Criminal Minds

Enjoy :D

Spencer Reid sat in the passenger side of the SUV and buried his pounding head in his hands.

Hotch looked over at the young agent and opened his mouth to ask if he was okay, but nothing came out. It was a stupid question. He knew Reid was the opposite of okay.

"Migraine?" Came out instead.

Reid nodded slightly in reply.

Hotch had noticed that something was off about him that day. He had this way of knowing when something was wrong with one of his team members. Especially Reid. He was the youngest, and had no family to take care of him apart from his coworkers. Naturally, Hotch usually kept a very close eye on him. This was one of those times when Reid really needed someone to take care of him.

They sat in silence as Hotch drove a little faster than usual to the jet. The sounds of Reid's deep and concentrated breathing filled the empty silence of the vehicle. Hotch looked over at him from time to time, wishing there was something he could do.

"You did take medicine, right?" He said in his softest voice possible.

Reid nodded in affirmation. Then..."Hotch pull over." His slender hand jetted to the door handle, and as soon as they were somewhat stopped he jolted out of the door and was on the ground wretching.

Hotch sat waiting for Reid to return. He winced at the pained noises coming from outside. Vomit...coughing fit...labored breathing...coughing fit...silence. He had no idea what to do. The amount of pain the younger agent was experiencing was out of his reach to understand. He said loudly enough for him to hear, "Reid, you okay?"

He didn't respond. He just stood up with what looked like great difficulty, and lowered himself back into the passenger seat. He closed the door softly and returned his pounding head to his hands. He let out a soft moan of pain.

Spencer was never dramatic about anything, especially when it came to being sick or in pain. So the fact that he was acting this way showed Hotch that the situation was pretty serious.

They sat in silence for another 10 minutes, Hotch still trying to rush to the jet so he could get Reid laying down. Spencer broke the silence with another soft moan of pain. Hotch glanced over at him in immense concern. "Do you need a doctor, Reid?"

In the smallest voice possible, "They can't do anything to help...I just-aghh..." he curled further in on himself and took a deep breath. "I just wanna go home..."

Hotch reached over and put a gentle hand on Reid's shoulder. "Alright. I'm gonna get you home."

Once they got to the jet, Hotch turned off the SUV and unbuckled his seat belt. Reid didn't move.

Hotch bit his lip, not quite knowing what to do. He had never been in this type of situation with Reid before. He had never seen him so vulnerable. It was almost awkward in a way. Spencer was usually so uptight about letting people baby him. No matter what, Hotch knew he had to take care of him right now. He proceeded to step out of the car and move briskly to the passenger side door. He opened it gently and put his hand around the back of Reid's arm. "Alright Reid here we go. Let's get you to the jet so you can go home."

"Noooo..." He let out a small whimper of pain and shook his head ever so slightly. "It hurts..." his voice broke at the last statement.

Hotch didn't know how to respond. Reid was in so much pain right now. He wasn't making any logical sense at all. He was completely out of it, and he couldn't even communicate properly. It was actually scary.

"I know it hurts buddy." Hotch broke his fatherly tone out, hoping to comfort the younger agent. "You don't have to open your eyes okay? Let's go to the jet so you can lay down."

Reid moaned in more pain, but actually listened to what Hotch had to say. He reluctantly moved out of the SUV with Hotch's help. Hotch wrapped his left arm around the kid's waist, and held Reid's right hand in his. Reid held his free hand over his eyes. Hotch led him slowly and carefully to the jet. When they got to the fold out stairs, he quietly coached Reid up with shaky steps. They entered the bright cabin which contained the remainder of the team members, and everyone immediately went silent at the sight.

The team was taken aback at the two agents before them. Hotch leading Reid into the jet, Reid looking completely disheveled...not even looking to see where he was going, needing support from Hotch to even walk without stumbling. Something was very wrong.

Morgan's gaze met Hotch's. "Hotch?"

"He has a migraine." Hotch said quietly. "Can someone dim the lights?"

Rossi reached to dim the lights as Hotch and Morgan lowered their friend onto the couch to lay down. Reid laid on his side and once again buried his face in his hands.

As the jet started to move, Hotch talked to a few of the team members quietly about what they could do for Reid. While their backs were turned, pain continued exploding through Reid's head. He felt like he was going to die. Maybe he would and the pain would go away...He suddenly had another urge to throw up, and jerked over the edge of the couch. Morgan quickly ran over with a small garbage can and put it under Reid's mouth just in time.

After about 5 straight minutes of puking, the pounding in Reid's head had increased even more-not that he thought it was even possible-and he tried desperately to catch his breath. Morgan lowered the garbage can and helped Reid lay back on the couch. As Spencer picked his head up and away from the trash can, Morgan noticed tear streaks on his friend's face. Whether it was from the violence of the vomiting or from pain, he didn't know. He assumed it was a combination of both. His heart twisted. He turned to Hotch, who was standing close to where they were. "Can you get me a cool cloth?"

Hotch nodded. Reid laid back on the couch, his chest rising and falling more rapidly than normal. Morgan loostened Spencer's tie and unbuttoned a few buttons on his dress shirt. He looked at his friend, and noticed fresh tears sliding down his cheeks. Reid's lip quivered slightly. Morgan slicked Spencer's hair back away from his face and held a gentle hand on his forehead, trying to offer some form of comfort.

Hotch returned with the cloth and took in the sight of the younger agent.

Morgan looked up at him. "Hotch..." He broke his gaze from Hotch's eyes and looked again at his friend. His heart ached in his chest. He was scared for his friend. He had never seen him in so much pain before. He felt utterly useless. "I don't know what to do."

"Here," Hotch said, handing Morgan the cloth.

Morgan took it and placed it gently over his friend's eyes. Reid groaned slightly, but then settled down. The feeling of the cool cloth relieved barely an ounce of the pain he was experiencing, but it felt good nonetheless. He gripped the couch cushion every so often when red hot pain seared behind his eyes.

Morgan sat with Reid for the next few hours, consoling him when the pain seemed to spike and changing the cloth every 20 minutes or so. When they were about 30 minutes from landing, Reid stirred. Morgan thought that he was going to throw up again, but he reached up to the wash cloth and peeled it off of his face.

He slowly opened his eyes, squinting even with the minimal light. "Morgan?" He seemed confused.

"Hey kid...you alright?" Morgan questioned. He was surprised when Spencer attempted at moving to an upright position. Reid winced as he changed positions, Morgan's steady hand on his back.

Reid rubbed his eyes and ran his fingers through his hair, sufficiently messing it up. He groaned. "What happened?"

"You had a migraine and Hotch helped you onto the jet." Morgan explained. "Do you remember?"

Reid squinted as he looked around. "Vaguely...?"

Hotch walked over, hearing the sound of Reid's voice. "Hey Reid. You need some water?" He offered a bottle with the cap already unscrewed.

Reid took it thankfully and sipped at it slowly.

Hotch asked, "how do you feel?"

Reid closed his eyes and rubbed his face. "Better than I did. I think I just need to sleep it off."

"Well we're almost home. I'll give you a ride to your apartment." Hotch said.

They kept an eye on Reid for the remainder of the flight and Hotch drove him home. He was just glad that Reid got rid of the headache so quickly. Normally it would stick around for days at a time. Spencer had taken the medicine just in time to kick it early, and the mess had actually worked this time.

Even though Spencer was slightly "babied" that night, he didn't feel embarrassed. Two of the people he trusted most in the world had seen his vulnerable side, and didn't think anything different of him. That brought him strange and satisfying comfort. The situation had made him realize that even thought he was used to taking care of himself because of his life circumstances and his childhood, he was happy to have a team full of people who would do anything for him.

That's what family was for, after all.

THE END

/ Thank you so much for reading. Also, thank you to those of you who have left reviews on my other stories. They are what keep me motivated. More reviews=More of my stories. Also, if you would like me to write about something in particular, please let me know. REVIEWS fuel my fire! Thanks again for reading, check out my other stories. Mwuahhhh :* \\\


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